Artisan Breads and Baked Goods

Several people mentioned they meant to buy bread at Karla and Mateo's so . . . reminding everyone their bakery is open Saturdays 9 a.m. until about 1 p.m. Last Saturday they had a bountiful display of whole wheat and rosemary loaves ($25 pesos each) as well as roasted eggplant and mushroom pizzettas ($25 pesos ea.), cheesesticks ($5 pesos ea.), chocolate brownies, date and pecan cookies ( 3 for $20 pesos), loaves of carrot cake and a moist fig bread ($30 pesos per loaf). They tend to sell out, so get their early. Casa Antigua is located on the corner of Topete & Horizonte down the street from La Esquina. Click her for Casa Angitua Listing

Pilates in Todos

Pilates classes in Todos Santos will continue throughout the summer. Mara Adame of Pilates in Cabo is an internationally certified Pilates Instructor and designs some effective work outs. She incorporates micromovements of abs and pelvic area. The exercises are subtle yet effective for strengthening the abdominals and building flexibility. All right here in Todos, classes held at El Hotelito Friday and Saturday's 10 a.m. & 6:30 p.m. Sundays at 10 a.m. Classes fill up, so reserve your space at mara@pilatesincabo.com.

August Twilight

As the summer heats up and the days get longer, the twilight takes on a whole new dimension from the rest of year. Due to the high depressions from tropical storms and humidity in the air, the moisture and haze makes for intensely colored skies and dramatic cloud formations. I've often heard visiting photographers comment on the quality of light in Todos Santos; it's as if there were a warming filter on the lens.

August sunsets and sunrises take on a surreal quality and an opportunity to create some unusal landscapes. There's about a 15 minute window where the light seems to illuminate everything it touches. Boulders and hillsides seem to glow from within and the reflections from the water's edge take on the color of sky. The hard edged lines soften and recede into the shadows and, with the release of the shutter, the passage of time stands still for a fraction of a second. While I was having these thoughts and making these images of the lagoon, a family came up to me and the father asked, "What do you see?" So I showed them the images on the LCD monitor on the back of the camera and they nodded in approval.

"What do you do with the photographs? Do you sell them?" Canvas Prints Click Here

Shake? What Shake . . . ?

A friend of mine from San Francisco called and sounded concerned and asked about the 6.9 shake. My reply was, "Earthquake? What Earthquake?" If you live in southern Baja most likely you missed it as well. The epicenter was near the boarder at Mexicali area and about 400 thousand residents were without power: San Diego 6 News

Mercado La Paz

After a hearty breakfast at La Fonda, I headed over to central mercado Francisco Madero. The streets seemed a bit subdued for a Saturday morning, but the mercado's seafood and meat vendors were bustling. The fish monger had fresh supplies of sea scallops, mussels, clams, shrimp, dorado and tuna all kept on ice and under glass showcases.

The meat purveyor down the hall was busy butchering a pig and the poultry purveyor also had nice plump chickens fresh from the farm. I noticed the food venders seemed to be doing better than the curio, clothing, dress shops, but the barber shop was busy with people waiting. .

One favorite stop in downtown La Paz is the Parisian fabric store, colorful and vibrant usually filled with women chattering and rummaging through the sale bins, but on this Saturday morning the aisles were quietly empty. I walked back towards Climasters and discovered tortilleria La Rosalia located on Allende near Independencia. The piping hot tortillias were coming off the conveyor belt steamy and puffy and inviting as Krispy Cremes. I bought a kilo for $28 pesos and made a few photos of the workers. On the way home, stopped at the new Burger King at the Soriana Shopping Center and the place was packed. Blockbuster had lines of people at the registers and the mall parking lots were full, so looks like business is good at the mega stores. I've often read about the effects of shopping malls in the suburbs attracting shoppers away from the downtown, but to see it in action--so fast and on a smaller scale such as in La Paz--makes me realize that growth is inevitable, but as consumers we also need to support our local vendors and merchants, otherwise we'll forget why we moved to México.

Cheap Eats: La Fonda Restaurante

When I'm in La Paz there's usually a check list of errands that need to be accomplished and I need to remember to stop and take the time to enjoy a meal. One convenient and favorite stop for breakfast is La Fonda located on the corner of Bravo & Revolución. I usually like to order the chilaquiles with chicken and salsa verde, but this time I opted for the house specialty which is Nopal (cactus) and Cheese Omelette with their house Pepin Sauce, which is reduction of roasted tomatoes and peppers. The meal was served with refried beans and container of hot corn tortillias. With coffee and fresh O.J. the check came to $65 pesos. The mornings head lines read, "Downtown La Paz in Crises."

With the opening of mega stores on the outskirts of town such as Walmart and Sam's club, the downtown merchants are suffering for business.

The downtown did seem quiet for a Saturday, but it was only 9 a.m.

The restaurant was empty when I first arrived. By the time I left a group of gentleman ranchers filled up the outdoor dining area. The centro and old mercado are a few blocks away and will head in that direction.

Climasters of La Paz--Where to have your car's AC serviced in the heat of summer.

When it's over 100 degrees and the humidity is climbing, the most popular guys around are the air conditioning technicians and, when it comes to servicing cars and trucks, Climasters in La Paz does a thorough job. If you're AC is wheezing and and barely cranking out cold air, most likely there may be a few leaks and out freon. I dropped my truck on a Saturday morning by 8 a.m. I enjoyed breakfast and ran a few errands and within a couple of hours they called me with a diagnostic. They found one leak in the main line and needed new valve underneath the dashboard. I authorized the work and they ordered the parts and said they would have the truck ready by 3 p.m. They delivered the truck on time and the AC is working like new and cost $1850 pesos, but I would have paid just about any price to have AC for the drive home to Todos Santos.

Climasters is located on the corner of Allende and Independencia and suggest calling the receptionist Ana for an appointment at 612-128-6008.